Navy Seal Says Iraqi Who Died at Abu Ghraib Was Roughed Up in CIA's 'Romper Room'
02-Nov-04
Iraq Prison Trial

AP: "The CIA interrogated and roughed up Iraqi prisoners in a 'romper room' where a handcuffed and hooded terror suspect was kicked, slapped and punched shortly before he died last year at the Abu Ghraib prison, a Navy SEAL testified. Blood was visible on the hood worn by the prisoner, Manadel al-Jamadi, as he was led into the interrogation room at Baghdad International Airport in November 2003, the Navy commando said Monday at a military pretrial hearing for another SEAL accused of abusing Iraqi prisoners. Testifying under a grant of immunity, the witness, identified only by his rank as a hospital corpsman, said he kicked al-Jamadi several times, slapped him in the back of the head and punched him. Five or six other CIA personnel in the room laid their hands on the prisoner, he said, but he did not provide details."

AP: "An Iraqi-born Swede's allegations of rape, sexual humiliation and abuse in Abu Ghraib prison were added Thursday to an ongoing lawsuit in San Diego against U.S. defense contractors. The man, identified only by his last name, Saleh, says during his three months in captivity last fall he saw guards fire into a crowd of inmates, killing five. He says he also witnessed the rape of two young male detainees by one of his captors, said his lawyer, Shereef Akeel. Eight other Iraqis and the estate of an Iraqi man who allegedly was tortured to death are suing San Diego-based Titan Corp. and CACI International Inc. of Arlington, Va. Employees of the two firms worked as government translators and interrogators."

Sgt. Javal "Davis' civilian attorney, Paul Bergrin, said during a recess that he wants to question Bush and Rumsfeld about the prisoner abuse, though he didn't include the request in court motions. Bergrin said low-ranking troops at the prison were under intense pressure from the CIA and other agencies to adopt 'Israeli methods,' such as forced nudity, to break down Arab Muslim detainees. 'We would like to interview Bush because we know as a matter of fact that President Bush changed the rules of engagement for intelligence acquisition' when he said the Geneva Conventions don't apply to suspected terrorists, Bergrin said."

"The judge [Col. James Pohl] ruled in favor of defense attorneys, who argued that the Bush administration's war on terrorism had created a culture of disregard for wartime rules on prisoner treatment. The attorneys said their clients, military police officers shown in graphic photos of prisoner abuse, were following orders to 'soften up' inmates for interrogation by the intelligence officers in charge of the prison during the past year. The judge's ruling means that Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, must make themselves available for interviews that later could be used in court-martial proceedings. The generals could refuse to comply, invoking the military's equivalent of the Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. The defense will also have access to Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, and Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, chief of coalition intelligence operations."